by Kitty Testa
Trek fans everywhere are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Star Trek franchise, which first aired September 8, 1966. The Star Trek universe is often seen as a socialist utopia, and it certainly does possess socialist economic constructs. But when it comes to foreign policy, Star Trek is undoubtedly libertarian.
The interplanetary political alliance in the Star Trek universe is The United Federation of Planets (UFP) and its Prime Directive is explicitly non-interventionist.
1. The United Federation of Planets does not interfere in the natural development of civilizations
Even when lives are at stake, Star Fleet personnel are not permitted to interfere with the affairs of other planets. This is especially true of less technologically-advanced civilizations. Temptations to violate the Prime Directive are often used as a plot theme, as in TNG’s episode Homeward, in which an effort to save the lives of a people whose planet was about to explode gets Worf in an awful lot of trouble with Captain Picard.
2. The UFP does not use its superior technology to impose its values and ideals
In their travels, the various ships in Star Trek come across a fair number of despicable societies, such as the Kazon in Voyager, who were so terrible that even the Borg did not want to assimilate them. Voyager could have dangled trinkets like replicators before the Kazon leaders to force them to change their warring, patriarchal ways, but Janeway instead decided to try and broker a peace deal among the warring Kazon factions. This led to an assassination attempt by one of the faction leaders against the others, which exacerbated hostilities in the Delta Quadrant, proving that interventionist foreign policy always backfires.
3. The UFP does not provide weapons to warring factions
The Federation stays out of other people’s civil wars, even when it means sacrificing hostages, as in the TNG episode Legacy. One of the warring factions on Turkana IV is holding the remaining crew of the destroyed ship, Arcos, and offers assistance in exchange for weapons. Captain Picard refuses to aggravate the violent conflict by arming either side. They ultimately get the hostages back (of course!) but without becoming involved with the Turkana VI war.
4. The UFP does not destroy sentient beings unless attacked
And sometimes even when being attacked! In the TNG episode Silicon Avatar, a dangerous space snowflake is cruising through the galaxy, swinging by planets and destroying everything in its path. Picard is convinced that the Crystalline Entity is sentient. While attempting to communicate with it, the crew observes that the graviton pulse is harming the being. Picard orders Dr. Marr (who wishes to destroy the entity) to return to an intermittent pulse, but she has locked out the controls and the entity bursts into shards. Really, she was right, but it shows how dedicated to the NAP Picard really is!
5. Instead of conquering, the UFP discriminates as to who can be in the Federation
Throughout the many Star Trek series, it is clear that advanced civilizations longed to be a member of the UFP. But you couldn’t just sign up. The Federation was very picky about whom it let in. Their cultures must have abandoned aggression and embraced personal liberty. How libertarian is that?
